BROWN SPIRITS: BOURBON WHISKEY
Bourbon the driving force as the DF&TR wine and spirits market continues to boom
The American whiskey category has been on an upward curve for a number of years, with bourbon thriving in global travel retail for key players such as Brown-Forman and Beam Suntory. Andrew Pentol learns how both have set about capitalising on the opportunity.
Below: Woodford Reserve is one of Brown- Forman's classic bourbons.
Below right: Jim Beam Black underwent a packaging re- design last year.
A
side Scotch whisky, the whiskey category is taking greater duty free and travel
retail shelf space and bourbon is leading the way. American whiskey and bourbon in particular continue to do well in global DF&TR. The future is certainly bright for bourbon individually and in the context of the overall spirits market. Brown-Forman Global Accounts
Manager Global Travel Retail Nick Mogford tells TRBusiness: “It is booming at the moment. We know total whisky as a category has been growing extraordinarily over the past 15 years and now represents somewhere in the region of 38% of total spirits sales in global travel retail. “If you break that down into
Scotch and non-Scotch whisky you can see American whiskey is driving a huge amount of that growth.” He adds: “Non-Scotch whisky represents 25% of the total whisky category. Within that it is really American whiskey that is driving growth.” From a Brown-
Forman perspective, its contribution to the overall American duty free whiskey segment is nothing short of significant. The company
“We are building category solutions in order to educate and guide the consumer within the bourbon category which is one of the fastest growing segments in the past couple of years.”
Carole Soulard, Americas Trade Marketing Manager, Beam Suntory
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has a 65% volume share of the category and 75% value equivalent. Mogford remarks: “It is a great
category to be in at the moment. “It’s been on a great growth
trajectory over the last five to 10 years and all indications are that it is going to continue for the foreseeable future.”
Category leaders For Beam Suntory, Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark have been continuously leading the category. Knob Creek also grew quite well in 2017, having gained more listings and recognition in Americas DF&TR. Offering an insight into the
bourbon category from a company standpoint, Americas Trade Marketing Manager Carole Soulard tells TRBusiness: “2017 was also the year we started developing South America for Americas travel retail and these markets have proven quite prolific for Bourbon. “We have also been focusing
on educating our consumer via strong partnerships with our retailers leading the way to bourbon category solutions for Americas travel retail.” Category solutions
are key to further expanding its Bourbon Legends footprint in Americas travel retail, according to Soulard. “We are building
category solutions in order to educate and guide the consumer within the bourbon category which is one of the fastest growing segments in the past couple of years. “We are running synergised
permanent visibility and promotional programmes, keeping the theme of
the Beam Suntory Bourbon Legends and making our consumer discover them all, from the big power houses such as Jim Beam to the fully hand- crafted Maker’s Mark. “We are very proud of our brands
and love to share their story with the world.” Encouraging someone to discover
Jim Beam, which is ‘one of our jewels’, emphasises Soulard, is a massive pleasure. The packaging re-design of Jim
Beam Black last year marked the unification of the global range and reflected the unchanged, celebrated liquid inside the bottle through a stylish new exterior. She explains: “This is a whiskey
of exceptional quality and intense flavour. Launched in 2017, the [packaging] release followed a larger global upgrade of the entire Jim Beam bourbon portfolio and solidifies the brand’s position as the world’s number one bourbon.”
Craft stands out While the bourbon category is clearly taking the spirits sector by a storm globally, there is, however, one key issue that Soulard is keen to point out. She comments: “The issue is that a crafty looking bottle unfortunately does not make for a better crafted spirit inside. “This is where our role of educating the consumer about
our brands and their history is so important. We are lucky to have the family history and generations of craftsmanship behind our brands and we are passionately sharing their legacy.” «
MAY 2018
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